A disadvantage of known ash trays is that, when the smoker extinguishes a cigarette by crushing the burning end thereof against the flat bottom wall of the ash tray, if the cigarette is not completely spent and should the smoker wish to light and use for a second time that same cigarette, the "taste" thereof will have been unfavorably altered, as is well known by smokers. Also, when a burning cigarette temporarily staying on an ash tray is "forgotten", it tends to pivot by itself due to its progressive shortening and may fall off the ash tray, causing burning and fire.